


Nuts and Bolts

by hopelessly_me



Category: Marvel
Genre: Clint makes two new friends, Fluff, Injured Clint, Insecure Clint, M/M, Soft Boys, Tony comes up with terrible pet names, hospital stays are the worst, robotic cats, tony is a good boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29118681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: Clint was stuck in a hospital room for days after an alien attack left him sick and injured. Just as he’s starting to feel like he’s going crazy he meets two new best friends.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Tony Stark
Comments: 12
Kudos: 74





	Nuts and Bolts

Clint Barton stared at the television without really watching it, his mind gone elsewhere. It was day seven in the hospital ward and there wasn’t really an end in sight. His leg was in a cast and it itched like hell. His arm was all sorts of wrapped up, some cold, slimy goo applied to his arm to help heal his arm; he wasn’t exactly sure he knew what it was but it was Doctor Cho’s idea and Clint wasn’t exactly medically trained to know any better. He was hooked up to heart monitors, some antibiotic and steroid drips, and he was pretty sure this was the worst, longest week of his life. 

Worse of all, he had been on his own for the last two days. People were busy, there was a massive Hydra plot that was leaked and it was all hands on deck- all hands that weren’t Clint’s.  _ I am useless _ . He couldn’t shake the words playing out in his head. He knew if he said them out loud it would be a summoning spell and someone would come in there and scold him. He was pretty sure Tony had programmed JARVIS to alert the nearest Avenger if Clint so much as uttered the word. That or everyone in the Tower had taken up lessons on how to be telepathic- or as Natasha affectionately called it the Barton Sense. Selfishly he wanted to say them. Then maybe he wouldn’t feel so lonely; but he knew everyone had better things to do that keep Clint feeling sane; he was a big boy, after all, and he needed to learn how to do himself. Clint never was one who liked being alone- alone gave him time to think, and time to think led him down dark roads.

_ All of this because I couldn’t fend off an alien.  _ It wasn’t like it was a small thing, it easily weighed five hundred pounds, was solid muscle, and it was fast. Clint hadn’t even seen it coming, his attention focused on getting Tony out of a bind. That’s when he was turned into a human pinata, then turned a human scratching post, and then it bit him, licked him and- 

A shiver went through Clint.  _ Enough reliving those few minutes of hell _ . It was cliche to say it, but Clint would do it all over again if that meant that each time Tony would be safe. One alien had gotten ahold on Tony and had crushed down the leg. Clint could still hear the shout of pain, could still feel the jolt of panic that has gone through him when he heard it. He had focused harder on weaknesses, even figuring it out and relaying it before he had been struck down. But it was worth it because he could protect Tony, had helped and, well, Tony mattered, alright? He mattered to more people, in more ways than Clint and-

Clint’s hands rubbed the blanket over him and he finally found something to focus on, drawing a small smile on his lips. It was the most hideous thing Clint had ever seen- it was soft, fuzzy and cozy, and had the  _ worst _ depiction of Tony on it, Iron Man suit on except for his face. Tony had threatened to burn it the moment Clint showed up with it at movie night, the whole team laughing their asses off. The blanket wasn’t allowed in the penthouse, especially no where near their bed. Which was fine- Clint preferred to keep it in one of his vent hiding spots. Clint wasn’t ready for the rush of love to hit him when he woke up and was with it enough to notice that Tony had found the monstrosity, along with his Lucky Dog replica stuffed animal and had carefully tucked both against Clint.

Aside from Natasha and Lucky, and maybe Kate, Tony was the only person who really mattered to Clint. He still wasn’t sure what it was about Tony that had drawn him in. Maybe it was the tough guy act while Tony was actually incredibly soft. Maybe it was all the laughing, the jokes that turned into quiet, sweet words when they were alone. It was possibly that Tony didn’t mind answering all of Clint’s questions when in the lab- he did it with such enthusiasm that Tony’s face lit up and Clint got to see that smile he tucked away from the world.

The door to his hospital room opened and Clint looked over only to be greeted with no one. He frowned and sat up a little. “Hello?” he called out. The doors here never opened by themselves before, and Clint had declined any drug that was too strong- he hated that fuzzy feeling it gave. “Look, guys, I don’t exactly feel like-”

And then he heard it. A tiny, robotic sounding mew on the ground level. He leaned over the best he could and his eyes widened in shock and awe. There, toddling closer to the bed, was a tiny cat, ears and all. There were some casing around it, giving integrity to the structure, but Clint could still see parts of it’s inner working, the gears whirling.

“Hey, hello you,” he cooed at the small robotic cat. It kept trying to walk forward once it reached the bed, stuck in it’s position. “... oh my God, you are adorable. Aww.”

Clint did what he knew he shouldn’t. He rolled over, ignoring the sensors going crazy so he could scoop up the scrap of metal. He rolled back, tucking his precious cargo against him as he readjusted the heart monitor and the oxygen reader. The cat looked old and worn, dull from wear and tear. The normally low whirl of a noise was louder, and the robotic cat sounded as if it were on it’s last leg.

“You better not be a figment of my imagination or I will cry,” Clint told the robotic cat sternly. “Holy shit, you are so cute. I bet you know it too, don’t you?”

A shadow of a man appeared on the ground just inside Clint’s sight. “If you think that one is cute just wait.” Clint pulled his eyes up to look at Tony. He looked exhausted, little smatterings of grease dotting his face and his clothes. “Also- pretty sure I had three nurses knock into me running to come see you before I convinced them you were okay.”

“You sent in a friend and I was, what? Supposed to leave it crying on the ground?” Clint asked with a pout. He picked the robotic cat up and turned it in his hands. “You made this?” he guessed.

“RK,” Tony answered, not leaving his spot. If it wasn’t for the fact that Clint was more interested in his new friend than his boyfriend, Clint would have been annoyed at the lack of immediate cuddles.. “I made him when I was seventeen. I was never allowed to have a pet- they were messy. Jokes on them, I made a huge mess when oiling the gears.”

“Awwww,” Clint whined. “Wait- RK?”

“Robot Kitty,” Tony admitted in a grumble.

Clint’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, my boyfriend has a heart and then gave you the worst name ever,” Clint told the robotic cat.

“You take it back, RK likes his name,” Tony said. Clint glanced over and perked up. “Oh,  _ now _ you notice.” Tony walked in and Clint felt his heart melt at another robotic cat in his arms. The design was much sleeker, much newer. “Meet RK-2.”

“We are  _ not _ naming the baby that,” Clint said dryly.

“Who said you get to name it?” Tony asked with a grin. “Maybe I want to name it. It’s my child after all.”

“I’m the sick one. Literally,” Clint said, waving a hand around his room.

“You are injured, not sick,” Tony clarified.

“Oh same difference,” Clint said through a pout before he reached out. “Give me.”

“So demanding,” Tony said, faking exasperation as he sat on the edge of the bed and handed over the sleeker, newer cat. “RK 2.0.”

“No.” Clint smiled and set the original cat down gently before looking at the new one. It’s meow was still robotic, but not as broken as the first. “I think I liked it when I could see the inner workings better,” Clint commented.

“That’s because you are a closeted nerd,” Tony answered. He leaned over and planted a kiss onto Clint’s forehead. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better,” Clint admitted. “Ready to get out of here. Maybe introduce the new pets to Lucky. How is Lucky?”

“Mopey because you and Kate aren’t around,” Tony replied. “You haven’t got to the best part yet of RK-2.”

“We are  _ not _ calling him that. Neither of them,” Clint said sternly.

“Yeah yeah. See that strip under his chin?” Tony asked. Clint angled his head better to look at the thin strip, black with little green dots. “Stroke it.” Clint pulled a face, pulling his lips in. “Oh… my God, I am dating a twelve year old.”

Clint laughed and used a finger to stroke the track under the cat’s chin and he knew his face had lit up. The cat rumbled, vibrating lightly before he heard it. It was a different whirring noise than normal, a bit louder, and a bit- “It’s purring,” Clint whispered.

“Told you I could make a purring cat,” Tony bragged softly. “I might have another surprise. Hold out your hand.”

“We… are going to have to have the twelve year old conversation all over again, babe,” Clint said, a slow, lazy smile sprawling on his face.

Tony rolled his eyes and snatched one of Clint’s hands. He slid a long piece of metal on his finger. “Alright JARVIS, collect the data.”

“Wait, what are you doing? What data?” Clint asked. He felt a poke on his finger and jumped.

“Just calm down, bird brain. Don’t go flying into a window or anything,” Tony taunted. “Or let an alien land on you to break something else.” Clint glared before he pouted. “It's all part of the surprise. You’ll like this surprise. It’s a compromise.”

“ _ The data is collected, sir, _ ” JARVIS said after a moment.

“Thank you,” Tony said, getting up, snatching both of the robotic cats away. “You may excitedly remove the wires. You are testing out a new invention. It’s going to keep checking your heart rate, oxygen levels, and infectious levels, and you’ll be out of this room.”

“Seriously?” Clint asked, afraid to come across as too hopeful.

“I have to clean it once a day because, well- it sticks you every four hours to make sure your infectious rate is low,” Tony explained. “But if this detects anything alarming, you are back down here. Helen said tomorrow she will take another look at your arm and see if we can get you down to a normal bandage.”

“What the hell is the slimy stuff anyway?” Clint asked, pulling off the heart monitor and the IV, pressing down on the spot as Tony grabbed an alcohol wipe and a band aid. “.... that’s a boring color one.” With a sigh, Tony grabbed a different band aid. “Thank you.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Tony said fondly. “The slimy stuff is a nutrient packed substance that promotes healing and skin regrowth. Basic terms.”

“Thank you for that. I wasn’t wanting an hour long lecture of science,” Clint said with a grin. “Hey, speaking of- is that where you have been?”

“Lecture?” Tony asked, his eyebrows pulling down.

“No. Your lab. With these,” Clint said, pointing to the robotic cats. “Were you… trying to make me feel better with robotic cats?”

Tony blushed, if only barely. “I have been working on RK-2 for awhile now.” Clint knew it was a lie. He started to smile a little more and reached out, holding onto the bottom of Tony’s shirt since his hands were taken. Tony looked down then back at Clint. “I was the one who got you hurt because I wasn’t careful.”

“You didn’t get me hurt,” Clint protested. “How’s your leg feeling?”

“Sore but nothing worth noting,” Tony answered. He managed a small smile. “How about it, Merida? Want to go see your dog?”

Clint smiled and got out of the bed. He knocked into Tony, mostly on purpose, and hugged him tightly. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t make the cats for you,” Tony said firmly.

“Sure you didn’t,” Clint answered.

“I didn’t.”

“Uh-huh.” Clint let go and eyes the wheelchair. “What do you say I crawled up there and not admit to the freebie ride?”

“Only you would refer to it as a freebie ride,” Tony said, grabbing the wheelchair and bringing it closer before piling the cats into his lap. “I’m thinking we should go out for lunch.”

“Fuck you and your absolute terrible ideas,” Clint answered with a song. “Anyway, we need to stick around in case Nuts and Bolts are scared of Lucky.”

“We are not naming them Nuts and Bolts,” Tony said, pulling Clint out from that hospital room.

“You might not be but I’m buying them collars the moment we get upstairs,” Clint said, arranging the robotic cats on his lap with care. “Tones?”

“Hmmm?”

“I love you?” Clint said, looking up at Tony’s pink face. He reached his good arm back and held Tony’s arm. “I love you.”

“I know you do,” Tony answered, smiling. “I love you too.”


End file.
